The Destroyer Book 2 (21 page)

I let out my held breath and then took another to relax my fears. The iron of the ladder felt rough and I wrung my hands around the edges of it to help pull my consciousness back to the task at hand. Jessmei and Greykin needed my help, and while I didn’t care that much for Nanos, or his mother, they were important to the princess and the Old Bear. Rescuing them would piss off all the Elvens who had sacked the castle. Any deed that would upset Elvens was worth doing.

The ladder turned into a massive metal grate with a small door attached by a hinge the size of my fist. The hatch was open, but I listened carefully to make sure I didn’t hear anything. Once I was satisfied, I ascended through the portal and into the smooth stone tunnels of the sewers that I imagined ran from the giant spider fortress that sat atop of Nia's capital city.

There were more chalk lines leading off to my right. I closed the door at my feet so that someone didn’t accidently fall down into the massive chamber. Then I set off after the chalk marks, hoping that I would catch up with them before they entered the castle.

Did Greykin have a strategy for the rescue attempt once they were inside the castle? I had made many mistakes on this mission, but the most obvious was not asking anything about the plan before agreeing to help. Even without a specific strategy, I could easily handle any humans I came up against, and the Ancients of today seemed weaker than any one of the hundreds of thousands of their vermin ancestors I had exterminated in my other life. As long as I was not grossly outnumbered, I could grab Nanos and his mother and walk out through the front door, killing anyone, human or Elven, who tried to stop us.

The chalk line made a sharp turn into a narrow hallway, but the line was then smudged out and continued in another direction. They must have journeyed down this route, determined that it didn't lead into the castle, and moved onward. I walked for another half hour, past two more branching hallways that they had investigated, until I found a mark that was not crossed. I believed I had only spent an hour or so in the temple of the Radicle, but it must have been longer, or I would have caught up with them by now.

The smaller side tunnel took me to another ladder that led up forty feet to a wooden trap door. There used to be a lock on the latch from the bottom, but it had grown rusty and been broken by a hammer blow. I pushed on the hatch, winced at the loud screech the hinges made, and then moved into the dark passages of the dungeon.

I had not spent much time exploring the dungeon. My training area was technically in the dungeon, but I could access it without venturing into the darker parts of the underground. Paug mentioned that the jails were vast, but I did not imagine they could be any larger than the caverns and sewer system through which we had traveled.

The chalk marks led me away to what felt westward, but I was so disoriented from the spelunking that I could only guess at the direction. Unlike the markings made in the dank tunnels below, these were confident and sure. I suspected that either Danor or Greykin knew this territory. I walked for another quarter of an hour past cells that were only occupied by rats and metal bed frames that looked like tortured skeletons. The air was musty, undisturbed, and reminded me of the temple of my memory where I met the ancient Elven and learned of Iolarathe’s plan.

The path carried me up to a wide stairwell that led up to the next floor. I expected some of the pens to be occupied by prisoners captured by the Loshers, but the cells I passed were empty and surprisingly tidy. Even with my keen ears, I sensed only my quiet footsteps, the hiss of the torch, and the occasional scurry of a rat.

This floor had lit torches on the wall and I figured that this level must be in use. I paused on the edge of the stairwell where the hallway was and carefully listened for signs of life. I heard nothing, but I smelled the overpowering scent of blood and feces coming from the corridor to my right. The chalk marks showed that I should go to the left. After a few seconds of pondering, I decided to explore the right first.

I crept down the dungeon, cursing that I hadn’t been able to keep either of my swords. The torches on the wall were dark, but the one in my hand still gave me light. I continued another sixty feet across the dingy stone and rounded a corner. There were more cells here, doused torches, and bodies of four men stashed into the farthest cell. As I came toward the barred entrance, half a dozen rats fled away from the corpses in random directions. The dead were dressed only in their undergarments and had their throats slit. The blood from their wounds poured freely into a drain built in the center of the cell floor.

I didn’t recognize the bodies of the men. Their complexions were slightly darker than most of the humans I recalled seeing in Brilla or Nia. They had creased faces from too much wind and sun exposure, and their hair was thick and dark. I guessed that these were Loshers, and that Greykin’s warriors took them by surprise, killed them, dragged them here, and used their clothes. If that was the case, then they did an excellent job; I had seen no scuffs or blood marks on the floor.

I spun around and went down the hallway in the direction of the chalk markings. It turned a corner and revealed another endless corridor with empty cells on each side. I marveled at the amount of space devoted to imprisoning people and wondered why the builders of the castle would have thought they would have needed to contain this many prisoners. I preferred violently ending my enemies. It was less maintenance, and you didn’t have to worry about them seeking revenge. Of course, Malek did choose to make me a prisoner instead of killing me.

Perhaps I should have been thankful for his decision.

A cell to the left looked as if it had been used recently. It contained three beds with mattresses, metal food plates, buckets, and stacks of soap. Lonely shackles dangled from the roof and I wondered if one of the occupants once hung from them. A heavy door swung off its seal up ahead of me and I heard voices bouncing off of the cold stone walls like cymbals carried by the change in air pressure.

“Those fuckers probably went to the bar,” a voice said. Two sets of armored boots tromped down stairs. There was a right turn in the corridor about sixty feet ahead of me and from the sound of the man’s words, I estimated they were almost to the corner.

I sprinted back down the hallway, swinging my torch and channeling Air to extinguish the sputtering flame. It went out, leaving a trail of smoke I hoped was far enough down the corridor so that the men wouldn’t smell the sulfur. One of the torches on the wall hung unlit and I slid into the spot of darkness on my stomach just as the boots crossed the corner a few hundred feet from me.

“She is gone?” the larger of the two guards said. He wore leather armor of light brown. I suspected that he was a Losher soldier.

“This morn’ er medic told us she fella bettar, so da king probby ooved her.” His accent was thick and the words slurred almost to the limit of my comprehension. He wore chain mail, with a sun emblazoned on his tunic.

“Eh. Too bad. Any idea where he would have moved her?” the larger guard asked with a dry chuckle. Both of their hearts beat steady and I assumed that they weren't alerted to my presence.

“Mayabe back up in da castle,” the guard wearing the embroidery laughed deeply. “Let ga, ya hard wha Uritr said, Ancient scared shit out of da king when day dout she would die. If you da anything da her you might half da answer da the king.”

“I’m not afraid of that little fucker.” The man spat on the ground. “No one kicks me in the face. I’m going to put my prick in every hole of that bitch until she’s pregnant.”

“Edder a kick da face dem having you dick ripped off. Dey prob wend up. Let’s go.” The bigger man nodded and they turned around and walked back down the corridor toward the exit.

The exchange confused me. They had mentioned the king but I thought he was dead. Were they talking about Nanos? Who was the woman locked in the cell? Was she lying to the Ancients? The heavy door slammed up ahead of me, and I realized too late that I should have killed one and then interrogated the other. I sprinted down the hallway after them, hoping that the next corridor they went through was another part of unoccupied dungeon.

I listened carefully at the door and caught the sounds of wind, half a dozen voices, footsteps, and distant yelling. This door must have opened to the courtyard in the castle, the way the entrance to my training room did. I contemplated kicking the thick slab of wood out off of its hinges and killing the Losher men. Then I realized that this would trigger the horrible alarm and put Greykin at risk.

After a quarter of an hour, it grew quiet, and I carefully opened the door. The exit led to a stone archway which was part of the Royal Gardens. Wind blew cold from the ocean to the west and I tasted the dew of early morning. The sun looked to be a little past dawn, but the arch sheltered me from its lukewarm rays.

I visited the garden before with Jessmei, so I remembered the way around to the main parts of the castle. The thought of lunch we shared those many months ago gave me a small smile and made my heart ache to see her again. That meal was the first time I met her brother Nanos. The young man had been arrogant, spiteful, and belligerent. I would have preferred to let him rot here with the Losher army and the Ancients, but Jessmei would want to know that he was safe, along with their mother.

Where would Greykin go? Probably the Royal Quarters, which was in the North Wing of the massive fortress. It would be a difficult journey to make with any kind of stealth. I crept through the garden and reviewed my memory of the castle. Perhaps I could scale the outside wall of the tower where the king held his meetings, enter through one of the high rooms, and work my way down to the main levels. It might be easier to do without discovery. Greykin and Danor wouldn’t take the path, but if we both found Nanos and his mother, then we would find each other.

The paths of the garden were still being meticulously maintained, and several gardeners wished me a happy morning as I walked past them. I smiled and nodded in return, and then I realized that I might be able to just freely walk around the castle. I didn’t have any weapons, and wasn’t wearing any sort of uniform. Guards would just mistake me for a poorly-dressed servant, my clothes were almost rags after all the traveling I had done in them. I did my best to appear confident as I opened one of the small side doors that connected the Royal Garden to the wing of the fortress where I had briefly resided.

I didn’t know how much damage had been inflicted on the castle during the siege and resulting occupation, but the inside of the hallways were as I remembered them. The dark wooden beams hung over the thick rugs that covered masterfully cut gray stones. The same paintings and other works of art hung on the walls. Even the indoor plants looked identical to what I recalled.

I worked my way to the familiar stairwell that would take me up to the floor where Paug, Nadea, Iarin, and I had stayed. It seemed so long ago that I roamed these halls. I felt a bit like a prisoner then since the king and Nadea wanted to keep the empress’s spies from finding out about me. Their plan had failed, the empress got me out of the castle for long enough to coordinate a siege, kill my friends, and conquer their home. Anger churned in my stomach as I thought about Paug and Nadea. The two people who had become my new family were now dead.

Time seemed to be a never ending circle. Here I was again, plotting revenge against an Elven that killed two people I loved. Of course, this instance was different. I had been in love with Iolarathe, I knew that now, and somehow I had made a mistake that cost me my friendships and sent me searching after the Elven while my own kind chased me.

I bore no love for this empress. I would rip the life from her slowly and relish every second of her demise.

A servant with a large basket of laundry passed me on the stairs and nodded to me. She dressed in Nia colors and was probably a little younger than Paug. I smiled at her when she went by and felt more confident of my plan.

“Excuse me,” I said to her back. She turned around and gave me a skeptical frown.

“I was supposed to start work today and I am lost. Someone told me to come up here to get my uniform.” I pointed down at my shabby tunic and pants I had worn for the last two months.

“Oh. You are actually in the wrong wing. You need to go to the West Wing and then down to the servants’ quarters in the basement. I’m surprised they told you the wrong wing.”

“They probably did tell me the correct wing. I just got lost.” I smiled at her. “This castle is really big.”

The girl thought to herself and glanced down at her sack of laundry.

“I have to take this to the basement to be washed. Afterward, I can show you where to go.” She pursed her lips nervously and looked around the vacant hallway. “We have to hurry though. I’ll get in trouble if I am away too long.”

“Thank you. I’d appreciate that. What is your name?”

“It’s Bethany. What is yours?” I suddenly realized my mistake, I didn’t have a name prepared and feared she would recognize mine.

“Paug,” I blurted out. I didn’t know if the boy’s name was common, but she smiled and continued to walk down the stairs. I followed her and did my best to look meek.

She carried the basket down to the first floor, walked a few hundred yards down hallways that I tried to memorize, and then took a side door to the basement. There were almost a dozen servants here, washing clothes, folding, and using a furnace to heat air that dried racks of sheets and garments. Bethany set down her basket and turned to an old woman who folded linens with the same efficiency that Thayer handled a sword.

“Paug here is new and got lost. I am going to take him to get situated.” The old woman eyed me suspiciously for a few seconds. I smiled at her and raised a hand to wave shyly.

“Fine. Get back here quick though.” The woman's eyes narrowed. For a second, I thought she might have recognized me. ”Show him where the food is too. He looks like he is about to starve to death,” she instructed the girl before she turned back to folding. I sighed in relief and followed Bethany as she bounced out of the basement.